Recovery: Musical weekend drums up support

New York is pondering the future of the World Trade Center site as it clears the rubble.

SUMMARY:

A series of major concerts highlighted a weekend of celebrity benefits intended to raise money for victims of the September 11 attacks, as well as boost morale across the United States.

In Washington Sunday, a day-long show attracted tens of thousands of fans, there to see acts including 'N Sync, the Backstreet Boys, Aerosmith and Michael Jackson. In New York, Madison Square Garden played host to the "Concert for New York City" Saturday night. That show featured a lineup literally out of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Elton John, Billy Joel, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and the Who.

UPDATE:

Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Elton John, Billy Joel joined other performers Saturday in a "Concert for New York," which served as a benefit for the city while celebrating its resiliency in a time of crisis.

David Bowie kicked off the mammoth concert with a poignant rendition of Paul Simon's "America," then rocked a crowd that included thousands of firefighters, police officers and rescue workers with the appropriately titled "Heroes."

Tens of thousands of music fans gathered in the capital Sunday to see Michael Jackson, 'N Sync, Aerosmith and an array of other pop stars at a marathon concert to celebrate America and raise money for victims of September's terrorist attacks. "United We Stand: What More Can I Give?" raised about $2 million through the sale of more than 46,000 tickets.

Hundreds of companies release third-quarter results in the days ahead. But a question looms: Will Wall Street notice?

Investors in recent days focused less on profits and more on anthrax, which appeared on Capitol Hill and at many of the nation's biggest media companies. Stocks fell last week for the first time in a month. (Full story)

Airports across the United States have revoked the badges of tens of thousands of people who, although unauthorized, had been able to bypass security checkpoints and gain access to airplanes.

In the past, many former airport workers did not turn in their badges, which investigators warned could compromise security. After last month's terror attacks, the Federal Aviation Administration asked airports to check the badges of all employees, a job completed this week.

Since September 11, American textbook publishers have scrambled to revise their books to include references to the attacks. Writers accustomed to spending months, even years poring over the importance of world events, had weeks to make sense of the attacks and place them in a context that even young children can understand for years to come.

Trick-or-treating and Halloween parties are being canceled at shopping malls across the country. At the colossal Mall of America near Minneapolis, incoming shipments are under close scrutiny and monitoring. And many of the largest shopping mall owners are adding security in their corridors, parking lots and storage rooms. But as the malls try to respond to the threat of more terrorism in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, they're also worried about not scaring their customers.

Members of Engine 16-Ladder 7 filled pews Saturday for an hour-long memorial Mass for their dead, an event they have held every year since 1967. The deaths of 343 firefighters on September 11 -- seven of them from Ladder 7 -- reminded them that great sacrifices are far from a thing of the past.

The feelings of many New Yorkers toward police officers fall into two categories: before September 11 and after. Before that day of terror attacks, New Yorkers tended to be -- at best -- ambivalent toward police. Since then, officers have gotten standing ovations and been thanked by people on the street.

For many families of the World Trade Center victims, there is no cemetery to visit, no tidy grave on which to lay flowers, only a smoking pile of rubble in downtown Manhattan. So to pay respects to their loved ones, many ride a ferry across the Hudson River. Then, wearing hard hats and carrying red, white and blue carnations, they stand for 15 to 20 minutes at a platform at the foot of the ruins. The visits are part of the support offered by New Jersey's Family Assistance Center.

Many Americans are thrilled that schools across the country have a heightened emphasis on national pride since the terrorist attacks. But others are worried that an unchecked wave of patriotism might quash some basic U.S. traditions -- such as the right to question and separation of church and state.

Laura Bush: First lady of the United States, she has become more visible since the terrorist attacks, making public appearances urging parents and teachers to help reassure children that everything is being done to try to keep them safe. Click here for more

Tom Ridge: Director of the U.S. Office of Homeland Security, a new Cabinet-level position Click here for more

Richard Clarke: Head of efforts to safeguard information systems for the Office of Homeland Security Click here for more

Wayne Downing: Retired Army general tapped as deputy national security adviser Click here for more

The latest figures provided by federal and local officials give the following totals for the number of people dead or missing from the September 11 attacks.

WORLD TRADE CENTER: 4,515 reported missing to the New York Police Department, including the 157 people on the two hijacked planes; 458 confirmed dead, 408 bodies identified

PENTAGON:
64 dead on hijacked plane; another 125 dead or missing

PENNSYLVANIA: 44 confirmed dead on hijacked plane

IMPACT:

The events of September 11 exposed the vulnerability of the world's greatest superpower, presenting the United States with the challenge of recovering emotionally and physically.

Several industries -- particularly the airline industry and the insurance industry -- have been hit hard by the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, and their progress will be watched closely as a guide to the overall U.S. economic and psychological recovery.